1651985 2015 Research ReportsThe publications in this series cover a wide range of subjects-from computer modeling to experience with water user associations-and vary in content from directly applicable research to more basic studies, on which applied work ultimately depends. Some research reports are narrowly focused, analytical and detailed empirical studies; others are wide-ranging and synthetic overviews of generic problems.Although most of the reports are published by IWMI staff and their collaborators, we welcome contributions from others. Each report is reviewed internally by IWMI staff, and by external reviewers. The reports are published and distributed both in hard copy and electronically (www.iwmi.org) and where possible all data and analyses will be available as separate downloadable files. Reports may be copied freely and cited with due acknowledgment. About IWMIIWMI's mission is to provide evidence-based solutions to sustainably manage water and land resources for food security, people's livelihoods and the environment. IWMI works in partnership with governments, civil society and the private sector to develop scalable agricultural water management solutions that have a tangible impact on poverty reduction, food security and ecosystem health.

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Subsurface and surface coal fires form serious environmental, economic and safety problems in coal-producing countries like China and India. Remote sensing offers the possibility of detecting and studying thermal anomalies due to coal fires. Emissivity plays an important role in determining the surface temperature of a body using remotely sensed data. In the present study an attempt is made to use satellite-derived emissivity to estimate the surface temperature in Wuda, north China. With the use of multispectral thermal Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data (five bands in 8.125-11.65 mm region) in combination with a Temperature/ Emissivity Separation (TES) algorithm, the anomalous pixels due to coal fires can be extracted from the background to achieve a qualitative study of coal fires. In the present study, during night-time overpass of ASTER, satellite images have been recorded and simultaneous field measurements were collected. These field measurements were used to process the satellite thermal data and to validate the results obtained. Using the TES approach, satellite-based temperature corresponded well with actual field measurements at selected locations.

The increasing frequency of climatic risks, such as flood, drought, heat and cold waves, is causing significant loss of farm productivity and income in agriculturally dependent communities. Timely availability of reliable information on weather conditions, agro-advisories, and market information can help to minimize losses in agriculture. This paper presents a scientific and integrated approach to identify areas of high agriculture vulnerability to climate change and availability of ICT services for dissemination of CSA information in the vulnerable areas. This study was illustrated for India where the majority of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods, and this sector is highly vulnerable to climate change. The study presents four regions: i) high agriculture vulnerability and low ICT services, ii) high agriculture vulnerability and high ICT services, iii) low agriculture vulnerability and low ICT services, and iv) low agriculture vulnerability and high ICT services. This methodology, which is simple, uses available data, and is easy to apply, can be useful to prioritize locations for climate-smart interventions, mode of CSA information dissemination using ICT services, and increase coverage of agro-ICT services through development of ICT services in the locations where climate change impact is high and ICT services are very low. This study also showed that there is a need to improve the quality of existing climate information and agro-advisory services in the climate risk-prone areas.